USA Today’s Hurricane Resources page is a collection of links to graphics and articles which help people understand both hurricanes and how to prepare for them. Topics include how hurricanes are born and die, safety guides, and hurricane history.

The Miami Museum of Science presents this resource for kids to learn about hurricanes. It includes information about how hurricanes work and how they are tracked, stories from kids who have lived through hurricanes, and instructions on how to create your own weather center.

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still recovering. NPR’s Katrina & Beyond page is a collection of NPR segments about Hurricane Katrina and its effects. This makes a great case study for anyone interested in the impact and aftermath of hurricanes.

Earthquakes

Terrible things can happen when the ground shakes and sways. In just the last few weeks there have been several quakes that measured at Magnitude 6.6 or higher in locations around the world. The following sites provide a diverse mix of information about earthquakes and how to survive them.

United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) provides a wealth of information about earthquakes on this site, including an up-to-date list of earthquake events worldwide. Visitors to this site can have real-time earthquake information sent to them via RSS feeds. There is a daily earthquake fact, earthquake history, a list of myths, and much more.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are a natural phenomenon where air violently rotates as a column sucking items up and then flinging them out again. This destructive event can reach wind speeds of 300 miles per hour.

Meteorologist Crystal Wicker has created this site to children to learn about the different weather conditions that exist. The tornado page includes photographs, diagrams and explanations of terminology used with regards to tornadoes. There are links to active warning sites so that children can see what is currently brewing. Safety tips and lessons plans are also included so that schools can help to prepare and educate students.

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) maintains this site to provide answers for specific questions regarding tornados. Included within the answers are links to articles that a user can seek for even more information.

Floods

There are many different types of floods responsible for devastating the environment and communities, including flash and slow-onset floods. They all, however, stem from an overflow of water that submerges the surrounding area.

National Geographic describes how a flood occurs and the type of damage it can leave in its wake. This article also relates the ways in which governments have attempted to manage this natural disaster in the recent past.

In the event of extreme weather many individuals may be at risk for various diseases. This fact sheet provides information on how to prevent, treat and avoid sickness. It offers solutions that would be both feasible immediately and in the future.

NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory details the various types of floods and how each is caused. The website also provides information on how weather professionals are able to detect and forecast these events. Additional links relay safety and awareness tips should one find him/herself facing this danger.

Disaster Preparation

What should you do when disaster comes knocking at your door? These sites will help you learn what to do when to minimize damage and survive the destruction.

This resource offers information about survival in many situations, including urban, wilderness, nuclear/biological warfare, and hurricanes. It boasts more than a hundred pages of information, plus videos that teach visitors such things as how to make jerky, build shelters, and make fire.

Following a disaster, state and federal governments have systems in place to assist victims. This site allows users to contact the appropriate agency and find answers to their questions. Included on the site are descriptions of the possible disasters and advice on what to do before, during and after a disaster.

This site is focused on health information for the public. This particular page provides users with preparing for emergencies so that the fear, anxiety and loss following a disaster will not be too overwhelming. One can never be completely ready for a traumatic event, but with planning, a person can feel less uncertain about the future. Links are provided to each specific disaster to allow a user to find particulars that are needed.

Zombies

Everyone knows that the worst hypothetical disaster of all is an outbreak of zombies. Learn about these undead brutes and how to prepare for the onslaught of zombie hordes with these sources!

Based out of the University of Michigan, this site gives an excellent overview of zombies, their origins, symbolism, and folklore surrounding them. It goes through a history of the zombie in film and looks at today’s modern zombies.

Dr. Hugo Pecos, the director of The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency, is here to teach everyone all about zombies. His site (not actually affiliated with the government) covers the zombie virus, biology, sociology, myths, advanced-stage zombies, famous zombie victims, and “actual” U.S. zombie outbreaks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released an official guide to preparing for and surviving zombies and a possible zombie apocalypse. Included is a graphic novella to demonstrate the necessity of preparing for this disaster, which includes a preparedness checklist; zombie posters to raise awareness; links to CDC social media on zombie preparedness; and the zombie blog, which lists all of the guidelines for preparing to face a zombie emergency.

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